Learning about climate science
At primary school De Optimist in Amsterdam we got a nice practical lesson on climate science. Researchers from the NIOZ had the pupils perform an experiment with olivine and regular sand. Nature and environment programme Vroege Vogels watched.
CO₂ in the classroom: how children learn about climate science
The experiment is as follows: from a CO₂ cartridge, such as those used in whipped cream dispensers, the researchers let some gas flow into a sealed plastic container. In that container is also a second container, in which some water with beach sand or ground olivine is stirred. An electronic sensor then monitors what happens to the amount of CO₂ in the air in that container.
What happened?
Listen to the full Vroege Vogels programme here to find out.
Restraint and vision greenSand
The researchers are cautious about the solution of using olivine to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, because the extraction and transport also produces CO₂ emissions and the process is quite slow. greenSand's vision is that the olivine-rich rock is used as an alternative to other rocks (which are also mined, reduced and transported) that cannot absorb CO₂.